


Completely unaware (you make me smile)

by deblond



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 5+1 Things, AU, Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-10
Updated: 2013-08-10
Packaged: 2017-12-22 23:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/919472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deblond/pseuds/deblond
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times everyone thinks that Harry and Louis are dating (and the one time they are).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Completely unaware (you make me smile)

 

I

Why do 8 AM economics classes happen to good people?

Really, despite of how much everyone likes to demonize him and call him an asshole, Louis is not a bad person. At least he’s not so bad to deserve this kind of torture.

“And then you have to check the graphic of the supply… you all follow me?”

 _Not at all_. But then again, it’s so early that it’s a miracle that he has his eyes open and is able to put two thoughts together. Louis is definitely not a morning person.

At the table to his left, Cher is snoring into her book and that’s definitely rude. If nothing else, because it makes Louis want to sleep too. Too bad that he can’t even blink without the teacher calling him out on it.

“Tomlinson! What do you think you’re doing?”

Case in point. “I was just taking notes, Mr. Walker,” he answers as innocently as he can. Which is not much – innocence is not exactly one of Louis’ virtues.

“And is your phone necessary for that?” Mr. Walker looks at him unimpressed.

“I guess not,” Louis mumbles putting his phone back in his pocket. He was trying to inconspicuously text Harry, but that’s clearly an impossible feat when the teacher has his sharp eyes zeroed on him all lesson.

He comforts himself kicking the leg of Cher’s chair and waking her up from her nap. She sends him a murderous glare. Alright, so maybe he is a jerk, but only when he’s pissed off.

When the bell finally rings, Louis quickly picks up his things and practically runs to the door. If he stays just a second longer than necessary, Mr. Walker somehow always manages to either make some pun on his behalf, give him extra homework, or berate him about how wrong the work he has done is. Louis would rather not give him the chance for any of that.

Fortunately, Harry is already waiting for him by his locker. He must have done some kind of pact with the devil because his first classes are all at 9 AM and he doesn’t have to wake up at a godforsaken hour. Still, sometimes he comes at 8 and spends an hour at the library so they can ride together on Louis’ car, but that’s neither here nor there.

Harry makes a sympathetic noise when he sees his defeated stance. “That bad?”

“I swear I don’t know what I have done to that man but he hates me with the passion of a thousand burning suns.”

“Really? You’re not exaggerating?” Harry snickers. “And maybe it’s because you always show up late, fall sleep in class and one time called him Mr. Wanker.”

“That was completely unintentional. A total involuntary reaction of my brain!” Louis says waving his arms. “And he is a wanker anyways…”

“Mr. Tomlinson!” Louis turns around startled. “I’m really looking forward to seeing you tomorrow in class. Eight AM on the dot. I’m thinking we can start with a pop quiz.” And with that words and a devious smile, Mr. Walker walks away.

“Oh, great,” Louis sighs leaning his back on his locker. Next to him, Harry is doing his best to stifle his laughter, his cheeks red as tomatoes. “Don’t worry, Haz, just let it out.”

Harry bursts into laughter. “Oh, come here,” he says pulling Louis into his chest. Louis goes willingly and lets Harry pet his hair. “Your life is so unfair, Lou.”

“I know,” Louis says looking properly grave and sober. That’s until someone flicks him on the back of his head. “Ow!”

“It serves you right, you jerk!” Cher says with a smug look. Next to her, Jade laughs with amusement. “I was sleeping!”

“We were in class!” Louis replies leaning his back into Harry’s chest. Harry wraps his arms around Louis shoulders and nods at the girls with a friendly smile.

“Yeah, but Mr. Wanker loves me.”

“See? I’m not even the only one that calls him that.”

“Well you are the only one that did it to his face,” Cher says.

“And you were the first one using that nickname. It kind of stuck,” Harry adds.

“What is this? Me against the world?” Louis whines theatrically. “Do you want to get something in too while we’re at it?” he asks to Jade. She giggles but shakes her head. Louis has only talked to her a couple of times because they don’t share many classes so he doesn’t know her very well but she seems nicer that his actual friends at the moment.

“Oh, can you stop being so dramatic?” Cher asks rolling her eyes. “So a teacher hates you, so what? It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes it does,” Louis argues, and it’s only in part because he wants to be difficult. He’s honestly worried about how in the world is he going to pass economics with the way Mr. Walker loathes even the sight of him. “But clearly not to you lot, who don’t give a damn about me!” So, Cher may be right about the dramatics, it doesn’t make what he says any less true, though.

“Ooh, Boo, I’m sorry,” Harry says grabbing his shoulders and hugging him to his chest. “I do care.” He nuzzles his hair and kisses his forehead.

“Well at least you have your boyfriend to comfort you,” Jade says watching they embrace with a bright smile.

Louis feels his blood run cold and his cheeks heathen. He pulls away from Harry in a blink. “Uh… We’re not. Together, I mean- he’s not my boyfriend,” he says without looking at Harry.

“Oh! But you are so…” she makes a gesture with her hand. “Nevermind. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry,” Louis says forcing a laugh. His hands are sweating. Harry still hasn’t said anything, too occupied staring intently at his feet.

“Okay. I think we should all go to class before we’re late,” Cher says clapping her hands with false enthusiasm. Despite the fact that there’s still five minutes until the bell rings and Louis always waits till the last second to enter the classroom, they all nod and head to their respective classes.

On their way to English, Louis has to force himself to act normal and joke around like every other day. He doesn’t touch Harry as they walk side by side, though, careful to not even brush their hands, when usually they would be all over each other.

When they sit down at their usual seats in the back, Harry still hasn’t looked at him or uttered more than a one-word sentence. He’s doodling on his notebook looking dejected.

Louis kicks him softly under the table and when Harry looks at him in confusion, he sticks his tongue out. Harry only manages a brief smile and that just won’t do. Louis makes a funny and stupid face, crossing his eyes, until Harry properly laughs.

And that’s much better. Harry should never be sad, in Louis’ opinion, and least of all because of him.

Because the fact that Louis wishes that what Jade thought was true, that they were together, it’s not Harry’s fault – just Louis’ for being so stupid to have fallen hopelessly in love with his best friend in the first place.

 

II

Louis wipes the sweat of his forehead with a towel and then throws it on the bench with frustration. They’re on the half part of the game and their school team is losing zero to one. Louis feels like strangling someone with his bare hands. The problem is that the first person on that list would be himself.

“Hey, you alright?” Liam asks sitting down beside him and chugging at his water bottle.

“I’m fine,” Louis grumbles scrubbing his face. He’s probably playing worse than ever and he knows it. The guys on the team know it too – they are all watching him warily, probably wondering what the fuck is wrong with their captain.

“Hey, Tomlinson! Pull it together, mate! They are killing us out there!” Aiden yells from one of the benches.

“Shut it, Grimshaw! My little sister shoots better than you,” Stan replies sitting on the other side of Louis.

“Yeah, and we’re only losing to one, there’s still half of the game left,” Liam intervenes. They both glare at the rest of the team, as if daring them to say something else. No one says anything - Aiden huffs but he stays silent too.

“Don’t worry, Lou. It’s not that bad,” Stan says quietly, so that only Louis and Liam can hear him.

“Yeah, you always play better than all of us anyway,” Liam agrees.

Louis doesn’t answer. Instead, he stares at the floor trying to tune out all the voices and noise of the locker room. Objectively, he knows that he’s behaving like an idiot. Having Harry cheering for him on the stands doesn’t make him a better player. So the fact that this is the first game of the season that Harry misses doesn’t mean anything.

He represses the urge to grab his phone and text him, telling himself that it’s not a big deal. Harry must be busy with something, maybe his mother needed him or he had to do some homework, and that’s why he isn’t at the game at the moment and he hasn’t texted Louis to tell him either.

The excuses sound flat to Louis’ ears though. He keeps imagining Harry with someone, someone more important than him, or worse, hurt in some scary place. He hasn’t been able to concentrate on the football in the whole match with the scenarios that are running through his mind.

Finally, the half time is over and they have to go back to the pitch. Louis deliberately stays behind, dreading the rest of the game. They are probably gonna lose for the first time in the season and it’s going to be because of him. Because the star player is a lovesick idiot.

“Hey, mate, sorry about before,” Aiden says when they are the only ones left in the room.

“No worries,” Louis mutters. It’s not Aiden’s fault that he’s playing so badly anyway.

“Look, I know that it sucks that your boyfriend is not here but try to concentrate. We need our captain with his head in the game,” Aiden says with a faint smile.

Louis doesn’t even notice the pun, fixated on the first part of the sentence. “My boyfriend?”

“Yeah, your boyfriend,” Aiden answers looking at him like he’s worried about his sanity. “Harry Styles?”

“Harry is not my boyfriend,” Louis sighs. Saying those words feel worse than a punch to the stomach. “We’re friends.”

Aiden looks at him raising an eyebrow. “He comes to all of our games, even the ones away, and cheers louder than anyone for you. I think he’s more invested in our team than half of the players! Look, you don’t have to lie, okay? We don’t care about that. At least I don’t.”

“No, I’m not…” Louis struggles for something to say. “We’re best mates,” he finishes weakly.

Aiden pats him on the shoulder, looking at him like he doesn’t believe a word he said, and goes outside. Louis is so stunned that he stays rooted to the floor for a couple minutes. How many people at the school are under the assumption that he and Harry are together? Is he that obvious? Does Harry suspect anything? That last question makes his heart pound madly on his chest.

Before the coach can come looking for him to see what’s taking him so long, he takes a deep breath to regain his composure and heads towards the field.

As soon as he steps into the grass he hears a loud scream to his left and turns his head to find Harry, sitting with Niall and Zayn. He’s clapping and whistling even though the game hasn’t re-started yet and he has Louis’s shirt number written on his cheek. He’s ridiculous.

Louis smiles dumbly and waves at him. Harry waves back, mouthing ‘sorry’, but Louis just shakes his head and smiles brighter. He runs towards his team, ready to play the game of his life.

They win two to one and Louis scores the winning goal. When the game is over he runs to Harry and hugs him enthusiastically, not caring about what people will think or how sweaty and disgusting he must be after running for almost two hours. Harry doesn’t seem to care either, judging by the way he squeezes Louis to his chest.

“You were amazing, Lou,” he whispers into his ear. “The best one out there.” Louis’ cheeks hurt because of how wide he’s grinning. Harry tells him how great he plays after every game but it always sounds genuine.

“Thank you,” he says pulling away.

“I’m sorry I missed the first part,” Harry says frowning. “My mother’s car died and I had to go pick her up. I came as fast as I could.” He looks like he’s disappointed in himself. As if missing the first part of one of Louis’ games was a terrible crime.

“Haz, don’t worry about it.” Louis pets his curls to make him smile. “At least you made it at the end.”

“How could I not? I’m your lucky charm – can’t win without me.”

Louis grins, looking at his cheeky expression fondly, but doesn’t say anything. He can’t exactly deny that.

“C’mon,” he says at the end, wrapping his arm around Harry’s shoulders. “Let’s go talk to the others before I shower and then we’ll go grab some dinner. I’m starving.”

As they walk towards their friends, wrapped around each other and chatting animatedly, Louis sees Aiden from the corner of his eye. Aiden sends him a knowing look and winks at him. Louis manages a weak smile in his direction before looking away.

He feels a weight in his chest when he remembers that, despite of what everyone seems to believe, he and Harry are just good friend. Even if he would give everything for them to be something more.

 

III

“Harold, seriously sometimes I fear for your mental health”

“What did I do now?”

“There’s a box of Oreo in your hands.”

Harry looks down at the cookies with confusion. “Yeah, so?”

“So, everybody knows M&M’s are way better than Oreo!” Louis says. “Honestly I’m disappointed in you, Haz.”

“You do know that we can buy both, right?”

Louis looks at him for a moment, shaking his head with exasperation, and then keeps walking down the Tesco’s deserted aisle. He can hear Harry following him and chuckling to himself.

“You know, the fact that you don’t know proper movie snack etiquette it’s not a laughing matter, Harry,” Louis says without turning around to look at him. “I don’t think I can invite you to more movie nights after this.”

“No, Lou,” Harry whines. “I’ll leave the Oreos, look,” he says making a show of putting the box of cookies in one of the shelves.

“It’s too late now.”

“C’mon, Lou…” Harry grabs him by the waist from behind. In this position Louis can lean his head on Harry’s shoulder without having to bend. It’s times like these when he’s reminded of how tall Harry has gotten. It seems ridiculous that they used to be the same size before Harry’s growth spurt.

Harry’s nosing at his neck like a cat now and Louis can’t help but cave and smile. “Alright, alright,” he says. “I forgive you, you giant.”

“Hey, I’m normal sized!” Harry protests. “You’re just upset because I’m taller than you.”

Louis squirms out of his arms. “How dare you tell me that just after I so generously forgave you!” he says dramatically.

“I’m sorry, Lou, I didn’t mean it, I swear!” Harry says going behind him. He grabs him again and starts tickling him. “Forgive me!” He blows a raspberry on his shoulder.

“Get off me, you goof!” Louis says, but he’s laughing and not even trying to get away.

Before Harry can answer they hear someone giggling behind them. They turn their heads around without separating to face a couple of younger girls gawking at them, whispering and snickering.

“Can I help you?” Louis asks in his rudest tone. They better not be laughing at Harry.

“I’m sorry,” one of them says, blushing. “It’s just that you two are so cute. How long how you’ve been together?”

Louis feels all the blood leave his face. “We aren’t,” he says curtly. “We’re just friends.”

Harry has let go of him now, and he’s standing a couple of steps back without saying anything.

“Oh, sorry,” the girl says, and she and her friend leave, almost running on the opposite direction.

Without saying anything, they go to the cashier to pay for the candy. Louis is suddenly no longer looking forward to movie night. The only thing that he can think about is how much he wants to grab Harry’s hand and kiss him. How he would love to go back to his house to cuddle on the couch watching TV like they were going to do, but as boyfriends, not as best friends.

But not one of these things are Harry’s fault, so Louis forces himself to get over it and pull himself together (at least for the moment, he can lose it once he’s alone).

While they are walking to his house carrying their shopping bags, he nudges Harry’s shoulder with his.

“Hey,” he says once Harry’s looking at him. “You alright?”

“Yeah, I just-“ Harry changes his mind and closes his mouth, looking away.

“What?”

He sighs. “I’m sorry if it bothers you, when people assume we are together. I can try to keep my distance if you want, it’s not-“

“Harry,” Louis interrupts him before he can say anything else. “It doesn’t bother me, alright?” _It just reminds me that we’re just friends and I’ll never have you like that._ “I’m sorry if I acted awkward, I was just taken off guard, I guess. It’s so ridiculous, you know? You and me together.” He forces a laugh but it gets stuck on his throat.

“I guess,” Harry mutters.

“And I don’t want you to be more distant,” he says without being able to help himself. “I like when we cuddle, come here.” He wraps his arm around Harry’s waist and rests his head on his chest as they walk.

“Alright,” Harry says grinning a little. He puts his hand on Louis’ shoulder and laughs when Louis pokes his dimple with his finger.

And as they walk entwined together and laughing, Louis can’t help but wish that things were different.

He knows that he should be grateful to get to be Harry’s best friend – and he is, but he also wants to really be with him. He wants to tell Harry that he’s in love with him and for Harry to say it back, he wants to kiss Harry in front of everybody, he wants to go to sleep with Harry wrapped around him and trade sleepy kisses with him when they wake up. He wants to kiss and caress every inch of Harry’s body, while Harry comes apart underneath his lips.

Mostly, he wants to stop correcting people every time that they think they are dating.

 

IV

Even though Niall had been telling him all week that the party was going to be crazy and wild, Louis was definitely not expecting this. Niall’s big house almost looks like a frat party house in a movie. The living room is full of people dancing and drinking, there’s a keg stand in the garden and even people swimming in the pool. The music is turned up so loud that it’s a miracle that the neighbors haven’t come to complain yet.

“They did but I just invited them to the party,” Niall says when Louis mentions it. “I think they’re playing beer pong.”

Louis is having a great time. He’s drinking beer and he’s kind of buzzed but not quite drunk yet. He and Harry have played guitar hero against Stan and Ed and smashed them, he has danced with Eleanor and Danielle for a while in the living room and he has helped throw Niall onto the pool initiating a water fight.

He’s looking for Harry now because he hasn’t seen him in a while. The last time he did, he was chatting with Tom and Lou in the kitchen, but when Louis goes there, Harry is nowhere to be found. He decides to grab another beer from the fridge.

“I think we’re supposed to get the beer from the keg,” says a hesitant voice behind him.

“Yeah, but I’m friends with the host. I can get the good beer,” Louis says opening his bottle and turning around. There’s a tall guy in front of him, so tall that Louis has to tilt his head to look at him. He looks older than a high school student and he’s kind of cute. “Hi, I don’t know you.”

“I’m Greg,” the guy says holding his hand out.

“Louis,” he says shaking his hand.

“Nice to meet you.”

“You don’t go to our school, right?” Louis asks cocking his head. “I mean, I definitely would have seen you. You’re big.”

Greg throws his head back in laughter. “Yeah, no, I’m in my first year of Uni actually.”

“And you’re at a high school party?” Louis tries to keep the judgment out of his tone but he really hopes that when he’s in Uni next year he won’t be spending his free time going to high school parties.

“I was dragged here,” Greg explains. “By a friend of mine. And he didn’t tell me that it was a high school party.”

“Wow, that sucks.”

“Yeah, well, at least it’s a good party. There’s alcohol,” he says raising his glass.

Louis smiles charmingly. “Well, for what it’s worth I’m glad that your friend dragged you here,” he says coyly.

Suddenly, Greg seems kind of uncomfortable. “Listen, don’t take this the wrong way but-“

“I’m eighteen,” Louis interrupts him. “And I’ll be in Uni too next year. Well, in a couple of months actually.”

“Oh, alright then.” Greg relaxes and sends him a warm smile. “So, how are you liking the party?”

“Seriously? That’s the best you can come up with? I thought that guys in Uni were smoother than this…”

Before Greg can answer, someone enters the kitchen and plasters himself to Louis’ side.

“Louuu!” Harry says, dragging the word out. “I was looking for you…” he buries his head on Louis’ shoulder, tickling at his chin with his curls. Louis can’t help but smile fondly. Harry drunk is like a little kitten – all cuddly and affectionate. Louis loves being with him when he’s like that.

“How much have you drunk, Hazza?” he asks stroking the back of his head. Harry almost purrs like an actual cat.

“Don’t know,” he answers closing his eyes and Louis is afraid that he’s going to fall sleep on him.

“Hey, c’mon, babe don’t fall sleep,” he says nudging his head with his shoulder.

“I want to go to the pool!” Harry says then. “Can we go to the pool?” He looks like a little kid, with his cheeks flushed and his green eyes wide open.

“Sure,” Louis laughs.

“Who’s he?” Harry asks suddenly. Greg is still in front of him looking at them with a confused expression. Louis had forgotten about him the moment Harry arrived.

“Oh, sorry,” he says sheepishly. “This is Greg. Greg, this is Harry.”

The air has gotten really awkward between them. Harry is frowning at Greg while getting himself as close to Louis as he can.

“I’m sorry,” Greg says then, but he seems like he’s containing his irritation. “I did not know you had a boyfriend.”

“What? No!” Louis says. “Harry is not my boyfriend. He’s just my friend.”

Harry scoffs, pulling himself off Louis.

“Alright,” Greg says, but he’s still looking from Harry to Louis with his brow furrowed.

“Yeah, great,” Harry says then. “Just go fuck or something I guess.” And then he stumbles out of the kitchen.

They both stay stunned in place after Harry leaves, without saying anything for a few minutes. Finally, Louis says, “Excuse me, I’m sorry,” and goes after him.

He finds Harry by the pool – where it seems like the party has concentrated now, judging by the large group of people screaming and playing in the water. Harry’s alone though, sitting in one of the chairs with a glass of god knows what on his hand and a sour expression on his face.

“What was that, Harry?” Louis asks standing in front of him with his arms crossed.

“Don’t know,” Harry mutters. He raises his glass to his lips but Louis stops him before he can take a sip.

“Don’t you think you’ve had enough already?”

“What do you care? Go keep flirting with that guy and don’t worry about me, I won’t bother you… And I don’t know why you talked to him he’s not even hot. He’s too tall.”

Louis can’t hold back a little smile. “You’re too tall,” he says. But apparently that’s the wrong thing to say because instead of smiling back, Harry scoffs and stands up. Well, he tries to stand up but he trips with his own feet and falls into Louis. Louis is not quick enough and they both end up sprawled on the grass.

“Ow,” Louis says rubbing the back of his head. “Are you okay, Haz?”

But Harry doesn’t answer. He is staring at Louis’ mouth with dazed eyes. Under the weight of his stare, Louis licks his lips unconsciously and Harry swallows, throat bobbing. They are really close, so much that their lips almost touch.

“Lou…” Harry says before closing his eyes and leaning in. Louis parts his lips, he can feel Harry’s breath on his own mouth, can smell the liquor on it-

“Harry, what are you doing?” Louis asks in the curtest tone he can manage while he feels like he can’t get enough air on his lungs. He wants nothing more than to brush his lips to Harry’s and kiss him deeply but he refuses to be Harry’s drunken mistake. “Get off me.”

Harry’s expression changes then. The lazy longing replaced by hurt. He quickly stands up and runs away before Louis can say anything else.

Without getting up from the floor, Louis sighs and scrubs his face. He hopes that Harry doesn’t remember this in the morning.

 

V

Louis hasn’t talked to Harry in almost a week.

Since the night of Niall’s party Harry’s been doing all he can to avoid him. He doesn’t answer his calls or texts and didn’t come out when Louis went to his house. In school, he ignores him in the classes that they have together, choosing to sit somewhere else, and disappears the rest of the time. Louis doesn’t even see him at lunch – god knows where Harry is eating just to avoid seeing him.

He’s slamming the door of his locker after a horrible economics class in which Mr. Walker has been particularly awful to him when he sees Harry’s curls disappear down a hallway. Deciding that enough is enough, Louis goes after him.

“How long are you gonna keep ignoring me, Harry?”

Harry jumps a little, startled, but when he turns around his face is blank, green eyes unreadable. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he mumbles.

“The fact that we haven’t seen each other in days rings a bell?”

“I’ve been busy.” Harry is so clearly lying that Louis doesn’t even bother calling him out on it. He’s always been a shitty liar, even more with Louis.

“Alright, can we- can we talk, please?” he says with what he hopes it’s a conciliatory tone. Harry shrugs. “Why are you mad at me? What have I done?”

_Is it so horrible that I’m in love with you?_

When he hears his sad and pleading voice, Harry seems to deflate. “It’s nothing, Lou, really.” Louis’ heart jumps a little at the nickname. It may not all be lost then.

“This is about what happened at Niall’s party.” It’s not a question, Louis knows it’s true. Harry winces a little when Louis mentions it, clearly he doesn’t want to talk about that night anymore that Louis does, but if they want to be friends again they have to. Louis sighs deeply. “Can’t we just forget about everything that happened that night? And never mention it again?”

Or maybe they can just live in denial. Louis is good with that. He doesn’t know what Harry remembers from that night –if he remembers how Louis almost took advantage of him– but he’s too afraid to ask. It may be better to just move past it. What’s done it’s done anyways.

He’s almost positive that Harry is going to say no and walk away. But, “Alright,” he says with a hesitant smile. “It’s forgotten.” His voice breaks a little and he still looks a little wary and sad but it’s a start.

Louis tries to hide the pure relief that’s running through his veins. “C’mon, let’s go to English before we are late.”

“We are already ten minutes late,” Harry says. Louis looks around him – the hallway is deserted. Apparently while he was talking with Harry he didn’t even heard the bell.

“Well, more late then,” he replies and Harry snorts.

By the time lunch hour rolls over, they are relatively back to normal. They haven’t touched once but they are talking and Harry smiles genuinely at all of his dumb jokes. Louis is so relieved he could cry. He was starting to think that he had ruined their friendship forever.

All of their friends look surprised when they see them arrive together at the table. Everyone noticed the tension between them this week, and how they ignored each other (how wouldn’t they?), but no one said anything about it, at least, no one said anything to Louis.

“Well, it was about time,” Zayn says when they sit down.

“Oh, shut it.” Louis turns his attention to Harry, if anything to avoid the questioning glances of the rest of the table. “Hey, I want some of that,” he says when Harry unwraps his lunch. They always use to share their food –well, Louis picks at Harry’s lunch leaving his untouched– and he has missed it (amongst other things). “If- If you don’t mind,” he adds coughing nervously. He still doesn’t know if they are completely okay yet.

Smiling, Harry holds out a forkful of his food for him. “Here.” Instead of grabbing the fork, Louis leans down and eats the food. Harry blushes but he doesn’t take his eyes off him.

“Wow,” he hears Niall say. They look away from each other to find the surprised looks of all of their friends.

“I totally called this,” says Eleanor munching on her salad. From beside her, Danielle nods.

“We all did,” Zayn replies dryly. “Congratulations, I guess.”

“Yeah, you guys make a cute couple,” Liam says.

It’s just too surreal. Louis is frozen on the spot. He watches Harry from the corner of his eye but he doesn’t seem any better. Their friends look at them smiling, like they are all happy for them, for getting their shit together, and Louis can’t get himself to correct them. He’s just speechless.

“We are not dating,” Harry says then and his voice is firm and clear. “I don’t know what makes you all think that but we are just friends.”

Louis always thought that uttering those words was the worse feeling in the world but it’s nothing compared to hearing Harry say them. His heart sinks to his feet and everything is so stupid. He didn’t think that he had a chance of being something else with Harry but somehow hearing it from his mouth has made it more final. And it hurts.

He feels his eyes start to prickle with tears and he decides that he has to get out of there. “Sorry, I have to go,” he manages to say before running to the door.

The bathroom is empty when Louis gets in and he sighs thankfully. He doesn’t particularly want anyone witnessing his breakdown.

His hands tremble when he tries to put some cold water on his face and he concentrates on breathing evenly. He’s a mess.

“Lou? What’s wrong?” a voice says from behind him. Of course Harry is such a good friend that he’ll come see what the hell is wrong with him.

“It’s nothing, Hazza,” Louis says, but his voice breaks when he says his name and he can’t turn around or raise his gaze. “Go finish your lunch before the bell rings.”

“Louis.” Harry seems really worried now. He grabs Louis’ elbow and forces him to face him. Louis tries to struggle but at the end he gives up. There’s no point in pretending anymore. Harry sucks in a breath when he sees him and Louis imagines how he must look – with his eyes red rimmed and wet and a pitiful look on his face. He tries smiling but he doesn’t think that he’s very successful. “It’s this because of what they said? About- About us dating?”

“Why would I care about what they said?” Louis sniffles.

“I don’t know,” Harry shrugs. “I thought it made you uncomfortable I guess…”

“Uncomfortable,” Louis laughs pathetically. _Fuck it,_ he decides. “It doesn’t make me uncomfortable. I just wish it was true.” He forces himself to look at Harry in the eyes.

Harry’s face is completely blank. “What?” he says weakly. He looks at Louis with wide eyes, like he’s sure he must have heard him wrong. “You… what?”

Louis sighs. At this point he’s got nothing to lose, anyway. “I wish I was your boyfriend, ok?” he says kind of harshly. Then he adds with a softer tone, “every time I have to tell someone that we are just friends it kills me, ‘cause I wish that we were more than that. I’ve always had.” They stay in silence for what seems like hours and Louis is about to turn around and go home, ready to pretend that this never happened, when Harry makes a choked sound. “Hazza, are you- why are you crying?” He didn’t think that what he’s just confessed is so horrible to make Harry cry.

“Why?” Harry says with a sob. “Because I’ve been in love with you since I was eight years old, you idiot.”

It’s Louis’ turn to stare with surprise. “What?”

Instead of answering him, Harry grabs his neck and pulls their mouths together. Which is good because Louis has always thought that actions speak louder than words.

Louis kisses him back eagerly, wrapping his arms around Harry’s waist and holding tight. The kiss is better then everything he could have imagined – and he has imagined a lot. Their mouths melt together like they were made to kiss each other.

Slowly, Harry pulls away with a dazed smile. “This is not exactly the most romantic place for a love confession,” he says sheepishly. His face glows in the dirty bathroom, eyes shining with happiness.

“I don’t mind.” Louis can’t stop smiling either. He feels like he’s gonna burst out of his own skin. He kisses Harry again and his breath catches when Harry moans into his mouth and sinks his fingers in his hair.

“Okay, now you are definitely dating,” someone says from the door. They pull away to find Niall and Zayn looking at them smugly. “Or are you gonna insist again that you are just friends?”

“Yeah, mate, I certainly don’t do that with my friends.”

Louis bites his lower lip and looks at Harry, he doesn’t know what to say. But Harry does, apparently, because he puts his arm around Louis’ shoulder, pulling him close, and says, “No, we’re dating. Louis is my boyfriend.”

Louis' smile is so bright that it blinds.

 

I

Louis is trying to choose between salty or sweet popcorn when he feels warm, big hands grabbing his hips and a chest plastering against his back. “Hey love, the movie is about to start,” Harry says hooking his chin on Louis’ shoulder. His tone is soft and fond, the one he reserves exclusively for Louis.

“I need my time to make such an important decision, Harold.”

“Just get them both,” Harry says. He’s one of those persons that mixes the salty and sweet popcorn in a bowl and eats them at the same time. It’s disgusting.

“You’re disgusting,” Louis says turning his head to look at him. Harry smiles like that was the best compliment he’s ever got and pecks Louis on the nose.

“I know,” he says.

“Oi, you two!” Stan yells from one of the benches where the rest of their friends are waiting. “Stop snogging, I thought we had a deal! We are here to watch a movie!”

Their friends only agreed to let them come with them to the cinema if they didn’t behave like a disgustingly in love couple glued by their mouths. They are doing the best they can.

“They are so sickening,” Niall agrees in what Louis supposes is intended to be a quiet tone but everyone in the cinema can hear without a problem. “I refuse to sit beside them.”

“Me neither. I plan on hearing the movie not their make out session,” Zayn replies.

That starts a heated discussion between them about who’s going to be the one unlucky enough to sit next to them that practically the whole cinema watches with interest.

Sighing at his friends’ childish antics, Louis turns towards the popcorn again. Should he just get a hot dog and call it a day?

“You know maybe we should just forget about the movie and go home,” Harry whispers nosing at his neck. Louis feels a shiver run down his spine. “I mean, if we’re gonna miss the beginning what’s the point anyway?”

“No, we are staying and we are watching the movie!” Louis says squirming out of Harry’s grasp. Harry pouts but Louis somehow resists. “We can totally behave like normal people in public and keep our hands out of each other’s pants for an afternoon. I refuse to prove them right. We’re better than that.”

“Are we though?”

Instead of answering him, Louis turns towards the girl behind the counter. “I’ll have the sweet popcorn, please.”

“There you go,” she says. “Anything else? Does your boyfriend want some popcorn too?”

Louis can’t help it, he looks at Harry with a dumb smile and mouths ‘boyfriend’. Harry is already beaming happily at him. This happens every time someone mentions the fact that they are together.

“No,” Louis finally says, taking Harry’s hand in his. “My boyfriend and I will share, thank you.”

They kiss sweetly ignoring their friends’ outraged cries.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hii! I hope everyone liked it :)  
> you can also find me on my tumblr, I'm braveryandtea


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